Private Practice

Who is prime time’s hottest hunk ever? The folks at AOL Television have some opinions on the matter.

They’ve compiled a list (Oh, we love lists here at TV Freak Central) that includes everything from
Cowboys and detectives to leagal eagles and super heroes. AOL says these are handsome guys “whoâ€™ve made us laugh, cry and drool on our remote controls.”

And the winner is … (drumroll please) … Patrick Dempsey of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Agree or disagree? Here’s the Top 10 portion of the list in descending order:

10. Tom SelleckShows We Loved Him On: “Magnum P.I.” (1980); “Friends” (1996-2000); “Las Vegas” (2007-08)Hunk Factor: He was ‘Rockford Files’ pal Lance White in the ’70s, but Selleck’s star-making role was as Hawaiian shirt-wearin’, Ferrari-drivin’, moustache-sportin’ private eye Thomas Magnum. ‘Magnum’ earned an Emmy and Golden Globe for Selleck, led his ‘stache to iconic status and helped him become an enduring sex symbol of the ’80s, and later, the ’90s, when he played Monica’s much older, but still drop dead sexy, boyfriend Richard on ‘Friends.’

9. Michael Vartan
Show We Loved Him On: “Alias” (2001-06)Hunk Factor: Fans may have first fallen for the French-born actor when he played the sweet teacher who won Drew Barrymore’s heart in ‘Never Been Kissed,’ but on TV he gained a whole new following as Michael Vaughn, the charming, handsome spy guy who helped train Jennifer Garner’s spy chick Sydney Bristow on ‘Alias.’ So suave and delicious was the hazel-eyed Vartan, in fact, that he and Garner became an off-screen item in between her marriages to Scott Foley and Ben Affleck.

8. Mark Harmon
Shows We Loved Him On: “St. Elsewhere” (1983-86); “Chicago Hope” (1996-2000); “NCIS” (2003-present)Hunk Factor: Before Clooney and McDreamy, there was hot TV doc Harmon, whose stint as ‘St. Elsewhere’s’ Bobby Caldwell ended when his character contracted AIDS. The former UCLA quarterback, People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1986, used his charm and all-American good looks to play charismatic serial killer Ted Bundy in the TV movie ‘The Deliberate Stranger,’ and played another hot doc on ‘Hope,’ a hot secret agent on ‘The West Wing’ and a hot Navy investigator on ‘NCIS.’

7. Taylor Kitsch
Show We Loved Him On: “Friday Night Lights” (2006-present)Hunk Factor: Oh, how we do love those TV bad boys. The Canadian actor, who’s modeled for Diesel and Abercrombie & Fitch and is a certified personal trainer, lands a spot in our top 10 TV hunks with his portrayal of tall, dark and brooding Texas high school football player Tim Riggins, who used alcohol and dalliances with many (many) women to deal with his dysfunctional family situation and his love for his best friend’s girl.

6. John Stamos
Shows We Loved Him On: “General Hospital” (1982-84); “Full House” (1987-95); “ER” (2005-present)Hunk Factor: Stamos has been a TV babe for more than 25 years, from his first big gig as street-smart teen Blackie on ‘GH’ through his current run as medical intern Tony Gates on ‘ER.’ The Greek TV god is probably best known and most beloved in TV land for his stint as crooning Elvis and Beach Boys fanatic Uncle Jesse on ‘Full House,’ where even two sets of adorable twins and an unfortunate mullet couldn’t upstage Stamos’ hunk status.

5. Tom Welling
Show We Loved Him On: “Smallville” (2001-present)Hunk Factor: A former construction worker and model for Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch and Calvin Klein, Welling made his tube debut as a karate instructor who sparked cougar love in older judge Amy Brenneman on ‘Judging Amy.’ When The WB went looking for an actor to play Clark Kent on ‘Smallville,’ Welling emerged the winner of the months-long, nationwide search, and his boyishly handsome face has aged perfectly from teenage Clark through to his more grown-up, ‘Daily Planet’ days.

4. Taye Diggs
Show We Loved Him On: “Private Practice” (2007-present)Hunk Factor: He’s how Stella got her groove back and he was nasty landlord Benny in the Tony-winning musical ‘Rent,’ and the smooth, sexy actor’s TV career has been just as diverse. He was a man candy attorney on ‘Ally McBeal’ and caught Will’s eye in a ‘Will & Grace’ guest spot, but failed (though he looked good doing so) in two tries at his own series with the short-lived ‘Kevin Hill’ and ‘Day Break.’ Now, as ‘Practice’s’ hot Dr. Sam Bennett, he’d be perfectly described as McSteamy if that nickname weren’t already taken.

3. Josh Holloway
Show We Loved Him On: “Lost” (2004-present)Hunk Factor: For his role as mysterious island dweller James ‘Sawyer’ Ford on ‘Lost,’ Holloway gets our vote as the hunkiest TV bad boy of all time. Whether he’s selfishly hoarding supplies, doling out snarky nicknames to his fellow castaways or begrudgingly helping them as they start to chip away at his tough guy exterior, Holloway’s Sawyer is endearing and, with his untamed mane, sexy stubble and a tight set of abs that was made for shirtless scenes, smoldering.

2. George Clooney
Shows We Loved Him On: “The Facts of Life” (1985-87); “Roseanne” (1988-91); “Sisters” (1993-94); “ER” (1994-2000)Hunk Factor: By the time of his breakout role on ‘ER’, Clooney â€“ or ‘Swoony Clooney’ as one female producer tagged him â€“ had already been kicking around TV land for a decade. But with the impetuous, but caring Dr. Doug Ross, Clooney sparked a haircut craze (the Caesar), nabbed his first (of two) Sexiest Man Alive title, and, with his Cary Grant-ish leading man looks, kicked into overdrive a career that has seen him win an Oscar and continue as one of Hollywood’s A-list hunks.

1. Patrick Dempsey
Show We Loved Him On: “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-present)Hunk Factor: Not feeling so well? Tune in for a healthy dose of McDreamy, stat! He’s probably the sexiest man alive to not be officially named Sexiest Man Alive, but Dempsey, ‘Grey’s’ Dr. Derek Shepherd, tops our list as the hunkiest of all TV hunks. From his perfect hair and killer smile to his piercing eyes and soothing voice, Dempsey â€“ one of those actors who only gets better, and better looking, with age â€“ also knows how to make sensitivity sexy.

One of the reasons you see only one new drama (“Life On Mars”) in the ABC lineup this fall is because the network wanted to throw much of its promotional efforts into relaunching its three almost-new Wednesday-night shows, “Pushing Daisies,” “Private Practice” and “Dirty Sexy Money.”

I say almost new because these shows only aired about nine episodes apiece last season before going into hibernation due to the writers’ strike. It’s good to have them back — especially “Daisies,” which was one of the best shows of the year. Here’s my story on the ABC revival:

ABC is hitting the “reset” button with its entire Wednesday lineup, all the while hoping that absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

“Pushing Daisies,” “Private Practice” and “Dirty Sexy Money” â€” remember them? â€” return after being packed away in cold storage since last December. That’s when the freshman dramas, along with a lot of other shows, left the air because of the writers’ strike.

But unlike most of those other shows, this trio did not bounce back to life after the writers put down their picket signs. ABC instead decided to take a TV timeout and hold them in check until the fall, when they could be re-launched with plenty of promotional oomph behind them.

Other Websites may have given them to you in piecemeal fashion, but we’ve compiled all of the broadcast network premiere dates and presented them in a comprehensive list. Why? Because we care. Keep in mind that network programmers are a fickle bunch and dates/times could change. We’ll do our best to stay on top of them:

With her “Private Practice” shut down for the rest of the season, Kate Walsh will make a return visit to “Grey’s Anatomy” this spring.

ABC has confirmed that Walsh, who plays Dr. Addison Montgomery, will appear in one episode of “Grey’s.” But there’s no word yet on when it will be or what the plotline is that brings Addison back to Seattle Grace. ABC will air five originals of Grey’s beginning April 24.

Meanwhile, speculation has it that Shonda Rhimes, the executive producer for both “Grey’s” and “Practice,” is looking for a new showrunner to take over the latter series. Even though “Practice” was the most-watched new network show before the writers strike, its tone and directionÂ has been bashed by both fans and critics.